Chase
by ryoseme
Summary: Turning his eyes back to the robber was probably a mistake because now he was looking straight at Eren through the mask that was almost like a part of a Halloween costume, a monstrous looking humanoid, but Eren couldn't quite put a finger on what it was. Ereri, smut, action, romance, mature. I don't own the cover photo! FIC UPDATING STOPPED TILL DECEMBER
1. Chapter 1

**Okay this is my first fanfiction about anything so i apologize if there's something not so smooth (_:  
This is an ereri fic with smut in the later chapters so if you are not okay with that then don't read.  
**

 **I DON'T OWN ANY SNK CHARCTERS**

 **CHASE**

Sound of door closing. Eren had just left his flat on 5th floor of the block. He headed to the staircase and ran his hand along the bannister as he rushed all the way to the ground floor. The walls of the building had been painted recently with light grey and the smell of the paint captivated Eren's nose. The doors were dark green, almost black. Eren stepped outside taking a deep breath. It was 5 am and time for his morning jog. His mind was blank, he didn't want to think anything, just run. He always felt better after running, it was his escape. It was about 6 am when he returned. He put the kettle on and went to take a shower. The hot water felt good even if he had just sweated a ton. His muscles had relaxed by the time he washed his hair and body. Stepping out and wrapping a towel around his waist, Eren took a look in the mirror. He had dark circles under his big green eyes and a bruise on his shoulder. _Sigh, when was the last time he looked this awful?_ With no time to waste, Eren eyed the newspaper as he sipped the black liguid, seeing nothing notable. Putting the yellow mug into the sink, he headed for his closet to pick clothes for today. White tee and a pair of dark blue jeans, that was his usual set of clothes. His shift started at 7:30 am, he had about 30 minutes of spare time. He thought that going by foot instead of bike, would be good for a change. He threw a greyish brown coat on his shoulders, took his bag and shoved his keys in his pocket.

Clouds were blocking the sun and it made everything look grey and cold. Much like Eren's world was at the moment. He used to be a happy, social person, but after his mother died three years ago, he had been sulking and people took advantage of his most vulnerable state. He had dated a few guys during his depression just because he had nothing better to do. He had just went along with them, never arguing or mentioning his own feelings or opinions on the relationships. He didn't care about himself anymore and felt quilty for his mother's death. Talking to therapists didn't help: they told Eren to stop thinking about it and move on with his life. He knew it was pathetic for a 20 year old man to wallow in self pity, but he couldn't help himself. His friends were always there for him, comforting him, showing that they care. Currently Eren's best friends were his sister Mikasa, who they had adopted after an accident and Armin, who Eren had known his whole life.

* * *

After walking downtown and more crowded area, Eren saw a familiar, red building with large windows and a big, flashy sign: Le Colossal. He slipped into a back alley and stopped in front of the back door to the restaurant. Taking the keys out of his pocket, Eren sighed in preparation for an exhausting day before finally unlocking the door. It's not that he hated his job as a waiter.. He just didn't like that Jean, his ex, worked there. He was a chef though so Eren didn't bump into him that often, thank god.

The first customers would appear at 8 am and there would be a few regulars who's tables Eren served. He headed to the locker room to change his clothes and make himself look presentable. After changing from tee & jeans to a dress shirt & black suit pants, Eren brushed his hair and slicked it back with gel. Deciding not to give a fuck about the dark circles under his eyes, he made his way through the kitchen and to the dining hall. After the kitchen, a hallway with colorful paintings covering its dark brown walls lead into the dining room. The floor changed from the kitchens shiny grey of steel to dark and smooth wood. The hallway opened into a large, wide- windowed room with a few paintings here and there. Most of the light the room needed came through the windows during daytime. Nearing evening, the room was dim lighted, covered in warm colors from the small, orange lamps on each table. There were corner tables surrounded with sofas for bigger groups and smaller for two to four people all around the room. From the main entrance a white, long carpet led to the reception desk that was covered in unnecessary toys and decorations that the receptionist had collected.

Eren yawned once again, taking the black apron from a shelf under the reception desk and tying it around his slim waist in a second. Eren heard a loud bang from the back door, followed with low murmuring. He peeked around the corner to listen carefully who had come in. Eren was usually the first to arrive and the others followed soon. He didn't hear anything after a while so he decided to sit at the reception desk and wait. He checked the time on his phone. Only 10 minutes till the restaurant would be open.

The back door swung open with the ring of loud giggling. It could only be Sasha. She was always happy and in a good mood. Eren envied her a little for that. She was well suited for her job as a receptionist because people liked her. A few minutes had passed, Eren had got lost in his thoughts but snapped back to reality when he received a tap on his shoulder. Looking behind him, he saw familiar golden brown eyes and a wide smile, "mornin' Eren!" Sasha greeted in a loud but cheerful voice.

"Oh, morning." Eren squinted her a smile as he stood up, letting Sasha pass into her working spot.

"Did you sleep well? Any good dreams?" She asked checking the papers on her desk.

"Well.. I managed to get some rest, I haven't had any pleasant dreams for a while though." He took a little figurine of a soldier with blades and a green cape from the desk and played with it with his fingers. "Where do you get this stuff?" Pointing at all the crap that was lying on the table.

"Everywhere. I love collectin' stuff" she put the papers away and eyed her collection with a smile. "Besides, people compliment these and the kids like 'em".

Eren just nodded leaving Sasha with her toys and walked to the other side of the room where his tables were.

* * *

 **I'm sorry the chapters aren't very long -**

 **I appreciate every comment, was it negative or positive so please feel free to tell me your opinions so i can work on the flaws^^**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This is the second chapter. I've already written 5 chapters but I'm going to upload them day by day and after publishing all five of em, I'll start publishing once in a week. I apologize for the first 5 chapters for being so short but I'll make em longer kay?  
Sorry all the typos I had in the last ch and in the future ones.. I don't always notice them all so sorry if you find any.**  
 **Any comeback is appreciated \o/**

* * *

 **CHASE**

It was half past five in the afternoon, Eren was getting ready to leave and change shifts with Marco, another waiter at Le Colossal. He was cleaning one of the corner tables where a chatty group had just finished their meal. Taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen, he waved at Sasha who was looking bored and cheered her to keep up the good work just a little longer. People in the kitchen were busy as always so Eren just dropped off the dishes at the counter. He turned away, ready to leave, when someone abruptly grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"About to leave, Jaeger?" Someone snorted not letting go of the collar.

Recognizing the annoyingly familiar voice Eren stopped,"yes horseface, my shift is over so can you please let go of me before i knock your teeth in.." Eren almost whispering, trying to remain calm. He slapped Jean's hand away turning to face him. Jean was still smirking but Eren just ignored him and walked away before he could start a fight. Being the only one in the locker room, he didn't have to hurry with his changing. He stared at himself from the mirror the whole time as he undressed, giving his hair a light tousle afterwards. He locked his locker, grabbed his bag and walked out of the cold, gray room filling his lungs with the chilly autumn air. Quietly slouching his way home, Eren watched the red sun paint over the high buildings. The wind blew pleasantly through his hair after the hot restaurant.

After taking the stairs, Eren unlocked the door to his flat, removed his shoes and set them next to the black door mat. He didn't bother to take a shower, walking straight to the living room and slumping onto the couch. He checked the time: 18.12. Turning on the TV he quickly went through the channels but ended up turning the thing off again. Eren groaned and threw his coat on the floor _. Is this really what my life is going to be? Shitty job and exhaustion till I die? I'm so tired.._ Eren buried his face into one of the pillows and slumbered away.

* * *

Eren woke up to high-pitched beeping. Half asleep he grabbed his phone from the floor and brought it to his ear, "mmmh?".

"Eren where are you?!" Mikasa almost shouted waking Eren up completely. "You were supposed to come visit Armin with me."

"Ehh.. Oh, sorry I overslept.. Fuck it's over nine already! Sorry I'll be right there." Eren hung up and ran to the bathroom to wash his face. _I don't have time to shower.. Maybe cologne will do the trick._ Taking a pair of clean clothes as fast as he could, Eren took his wallet and keys as he threw a coat on his shoulders and ran out. _Fuck fuck fuck Mikasa hates waiting. Hopefully she won't be too mad at me._ Eren jogged his way to their meeting place, waving at Mikasa as she came closer. "I.. Ha aah.. Sorry." Eren managed to pant out.

"It's fine. Armin is probably waiting for us, lets go." She walked in a quick pace, and Eren had to once again jog to keep up. Walking down the street for a while, a small cafe came into view. They walked in making the doorbell ring. A small blonde behind the counter greeted them with a smile as they walked further. "Heyyy! What's up?" The blonde leaned on the counter, his smile growing wider by the minute. "Well you sure are happy to see us." Eren laughed and pointed at a pink frosted doughnut behind the glass.

"Well you are my favourite customers", Armin placed the doughnut on a plate handing it to Eren with a napkin. "Anything for you Mikasa?"

"A latte please." She took out her wallet and paid for both of them. They seated themselves in a corner table for two next to a window. Eren gazed out noticing there were not many people out this early in the Saturday morning. He dug into his doughnut, littering the place with crumbs as he wasn't exactly the neatest person on earth. It was a nice, sunny day, a good change from the chilly autumn air. Eren crumpled the napkin into a ball and threw it on the plate after wiping his face with it. Mikasa was silently staring out of the window as she sipped her coffee, and Armin was putting more food out behind the counter. It was peaceful and there were only 2 customers in the cafe besides Eren and Mikasa. Moving his eyes back to the outside world, Eren noticed a black car drive into the shadowed side of the parking lot in front of the cafe. Eren's first thought was that the car was cool and probably pretty expensive. _I bet Jean would die of jealousy if I had a car like that._ "Eren.." Someone brushed his hand that was lying on the table.

"Wa..?" Eren sent a questioning look to Mikasa who was now holding Eren's hand. Before she could say anything, the door bell rang and Eren found himself staring at a man clad all in black. It took him a minute or two to realize what was going on and that made his breath hitch. The intruder was standing next to Armin behind the counter, pointing a gun next to his face demanding him to collect all the money into a bag. Everyone froze and just stared at the scene with their breath stuck to their throats. Eren had to do something. He couldn't just watch the thug boss Armin around, making him tremble like that. Eren was about to stand up and make the focus his attention on him instead of Armin, who was almost crying out of fear, when Mikasa grabbed Eren's arm with more force, keeping him in place. "Don't interfere." Her voice was cold, yet Eren could hear that she too was scared. Turning his eyes back to the robber was probably a mistake because now he was looking straight at Eren through the mask that was almost like a part of a halloween costume, a monstrous looking humanoid, but Eren couldn't quite put a finger on what it was.

Apparently Armin had finished collecting the money for the man because now he was heading towards the customers. "Wallet and jewelry." He demanded in a low and steady voice, pointing the gun at a woman sitting in a table next to Eren and Mikasa. The woman's fingers were shaking like leaves as she gave her whole purse to the man and tried to shield herself with her hands. Paying no more attention to the woman, the robber walked calmly, like he had whole day to spend, to Eren's table and repeated the same steady words as earlier. Eren tried to look him in the eye as he gave his wallet and took deep breaths. Mikasa looked as calm as ever with her pokerface, she gave her wallet and silver bracelet, not sparing a glance towards the man. After the thug left their table, Mikasa noted Armin to call the police as fast as possible. Eren kept his gaze on the man and felt anger boiling inside of him when he started threatening an old man in the other corner of the room. Suddenly a taller guy, with a mask similar to the other, bursted in the cafe and gave some sort of sign to leave because they were gone as quickly as the man had ran in. Eren watched the black car drive away but couldn't catch the register plate.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Yeah so this is the 3rd chapter, hopefully you guys have liked the story so far (_:**  
 **Sorry the typos.. I had to combine chapters 3 and 4 cause chapter 3 was so short..  
Thanks for the reviews ;***

* * *

 **CHASE**

Eren felt like punching a wall. In his opinion the cops had come a few minutes too late than they should have. He practically growled and jumped in place because he wanted to run after the black car and beat them to death. Yeah it was just a basic robbery and no one was hurt but something about them made Eren's skin crawl. The way the thug stared at him behind his mask. His steady and low voice. Everyone from the cafe was now standing outside as the cops questioned them. After making sure the older people were okay and done with the questions, a couple of cops walked towards Eren's group.

"Afternoon! I'm officer Levi Ackerman and these are my colleagues Ral and Zacharias. We would like to ask you a few questions." The short cop introduced themselves. Eren just nodded as he checked on Armin who was being comforted by Mikasa. "What time did the incident occur?" The officer cleared his throat before speaking to catch Eren's attention.

"Ehh.. around 10 am i guess. I didn't watch the time." The brunet answered picking his hair.

"Did you see anything suspicious before the incident?" The short man was now taking notes. Eren couldn't concentrate as he could have sworn one of the officers was sniffing Armin's hair while questioning.

"Oi brat, answer me." Eren turned his head back to the cop. He had a dark undercut that looked black but was probably dark brown. He was pretty pale and it suited his slender fingers. The top of his ear was pierced with a silver ring. His grey eyes read through his notes but lifted their sharp gaze on Eren. There might have been a little blue in them and Eren felt like crouching closer to check but remembered the situation.

"I saw a black car stop in front of the cafe and a masked man came in demanding our money. After he had collected our stuff, another man ran in with a similiar mask and they left. I tried to catch the licence plate but couldn't." Eren sighed feeling the anger grow.

"It's okay. The cops and robbers game is our's to play. You just get ready to continue your daily life and we will inform you on your stuff." Levi put away the notes and pen. "Mind giving me your number?". Eren was caught off guard and he felt a faint blush creep on his cheeks.

"I'm only asking it so I can fill you in if we find anything." Levi assured and took the note where Eren had written his particulars.

Armin decided to close the cafe for the day and head home to rest. Mikasa suggested Eren to hang with her but he didn't feel like it so he took a longer route home. He was tired and in a need of a shower and tea. There were children playing in a park that Eren passed by, filling his head with childhood memories. He used to live in the countryside with his parents and Mikasa. They played with Armin in the woods and built a cool treehouse where they escaped the bullies. Mikasa usually kicked their sorry asses but running was fun for a change. Eren's mother used to bake apple pie from apples they had grown themselves and they would all enjoy it with tea.

Eren smiled to himself for thinking such things. Then he sighed heavily. It was all so different now..

* * *

A week passed by without Eren hearing any information from the police. Work was a pain like always but it was saturday now and he would simply chill at home watching movies. Eren lifted himself from the warm, soft bed before taking his phone from the nightstand. No calls, no messages. Eren wasn't sure whether he was disappointed or relieved for people not contacting him. He enjoyed the peace and quiet but everyone needed company every now and then. Walking out of the bedroom, wearing just a pair of grey boxers, Eren threw his phone on the sofa and headed for a shower.

The bruise on his shoulder was gone but the black circles remained. _I'm in a need of a haircut_ , Eren fondled the bangs that almost blocked his view. He tied the towel around his head like a turban, put on a pair of clean underwear and made his way to the kitchen. He flicked the kettle on and jumped on the kitchen counter waving his legs. _Am in a mood for horror or comedy.. mmmhh_.. Eren jumped down when the coffee was ready and poured a full mug of it before picking up the newspaper that was lying on his doormat.

There had been a small article about the cafe incident a few days ago but that was it for the interesting news. The brunet folded up the paper and put it on the table as he sat on the couch. For the first time in a while, he had slept well. Nightmares hadn't bothered him last night so he had slept soundly till 2pm. Unfortunately now was the time of day when there was nothing good on TV. He decided to go with a horror movie. He got himself a bowl of popcorn, curled under a blanket and started the movie. Eren had seen all Saw movies till VI so why not watch the last one now that he had time. The popcorn bowl was empty and the movie was halfway through when Eren's phone buzzed and he received a text message.

From: Armin

15:28pm

Hey Eren the group is going to a bar tomorrow and they asked me to convince you to come. So how bout it?

To: Armin

15:30pm

Yeah sure I'll come if you insist :p

The phone flew back on the couch and he finished the movie in peace.

Eren picked a red flannel shirt and black skinny jeans. He put on his favourite cologne as he messed up his hair and smiled at his reflection. _Not bad if i can say so for myself_. Taking his bag he practically flew out of his flat. He hadn't been this energetic for a while and the smile suited him. Nearly everyone was already sitting in their usual spots at the table when Eren arrived. Sasha was feeding Connie some chips as she sat on his lap. Jean was sitting with Marco on the opposite side of Armin and Mikasa. Eren squeezed himself next to Armin and greeted them all with a smile. Marco returned with beers for everyone and the night started with laughs. Ymir and Christa joined them later on but spent the entire time dancing together.

It was pretty late already and people were getting drunk, except for Armin who was the designated driver. "The next round is on me!" Jean shouted and bounced off of his seat. Marco tried to stop him from drinking anymore but since Jean was having such a great time, he decided to let him go ahead. "Jaeger here probably even couldn't pay drinks for everyone." Jean smirked.

"Hey! I have money. I can pay the drinks if your horse ass isn't rich enough." Eren stood up and shook off Mikasa's hand.

"Why do you always have to compete about money?! You work at the same damn place." Armin chirped in.

"Maybe but I'm a chef and Eren is just a waiter.. You know I get paid more. Jaeger can pay when he has enough money for that." Jean turned his back to Eren and headed to the bar counter. Eren hated how Jean always had to get under his skin. The night would have been a success if Jean had just kept his ugly mouth shut. The ash blond male returned with their drinks and placed Eren's drink in front of him with a smirk. The tension between them filled the table. Eren had a hard time keeping himself from hitting Jean right in the face.

"So Eren.. How much dick have you got into that slutty ass of yours? After me I mean." Jean's gaze was devilish when he looked Eren straight in the eye. Marco smacked the back of Jean's head, earning a grunt from him. That was the last drop. Before anyone realized what was happening, Eren had jumped on Jean and they were now rolling on the floor. People turned their heads towards the two brawlers with loud gasps.

"Eren! Jean! Stop it!" Armin shouted. Mikasa tried to restrain Eren from Jean but she was just shoved away.

"Jean please stop!" Marco hid his face in embarrassment.

Before they broke anything, a bouncer stepped in and carried them by their collars. Eren realized what had happened after his butt hit the ground on a back alley next to the bar. "This is all your fault you shitface!"

"Oh shut up Jaeger! You jumped on me." Jean leaned on a wall and looked away from Eren. Eren's hands were shaking. Not because he was scared or cold, but out of sheer anger. "I should just beat you till you can't talk." The brunet snapped. Jean took a step closer to Eren and lifted him by his collar. "Whatchu gonna do slut ass?" Eren brought his fist to Jean's face with full force, dropping him to the ground.. They were almost choking each other when a shout interrupted them.

"What the flying fuck are you brats doing?!" A pair of hands separated them. The youngsters stood now in complete silence while a cop glared at them with silver eyes. "What happened here?"


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Fourth chapter ladies and gentleman.  
** **I'm working evening shifts this week so IF a chapter comes late, I'm very sorry and we can all blame the shitty place I work at (:  
Yes sorry the typos and the fact that I suck and can't write a long chapter..  
Jfc! I promise the chapters will get longer.  
Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHASE**

"That fucking horse started the fight.." Eren mumbled. Jean lifted his fist but the cop took a hold of it. "This son of a bitch jumped on me!" Jean defended.

"Okay I can't understand a word of your drunken mumbling but it looks like you both have had enough for the night. Hey horseface, you have a ride home?" The silver eyed man asked letting go of his fist. "Yeah I have a friend driving me." Jean answered.

"Okay go tell your friend to take you home as soon as possible and check if you have any injuries. I'll take this one home, let your friends know about that too." The cop started walking away from the alley gesturing to Eren to follow him. Jean looked confused but got the message. Walking made Eren realize just how much he had had to drink. He stumbled in the bumpy alleyway and lost his footing. As he made physical contact with the ground, he let out a drunken cry, startling the short man. "Oi! Are you okay?" The cop picked him up and helped him to his vehicle. Eren's eyesight was hazy when he looked around in the car. Click. He brought his unfocused gaze to the man leaning over him. Levi clicked Eren's seatbelt on as it was apparently too difficult for the drunken brunet. It was probably because of the alcohol but as Levi got up, he noticed the brunet's face being the same shade as a tomato. He decided to ignore it for now and maybe tease the youngster later. The silence was only broken when Levi asked Eren where he lived, so he could drive him home. Eren's drunken blush never left his face. Soon the car arrived to a familiar parking lot and Eren was more than ready to get home from this awkward situation. How was he going to explain Mikasa why he was driven home by a cop.

* * *

"Need any help? Getting up into your apartment or something?" Levi asked as he stepped out of his car and watched the drunk stumble and almost fall over again.

"Nope." Eren smiled at him with a still faint blush on his cheeks. "I'm totally fine and capable of taking care of myself." He managed to reach the buildings front door without tripping himself. "See, I'm fine." Eren beamed proudly and tried to open the door.

"Looks like it's locked. No wonder at this hour. Might wanna use your key if you still have it?" The ravenette rested his weight on his other leg and crossed his arms. Panicking and going through every pocket for his key, Eren almost squealed in frustration before finding it in the back pocket. Ignoring Eren's protest, Levi escorted him to his flat and into the house.

Eren kicked his shoes off and jumped on the couch drunkenly giggling and snorting, probably amused by his own thoughts. Levi looked around pretty impressed by the tidiness of the brat's house. One could assume that a low-income young adult could not be bothered to keep an apartment clean. Eren stopped giggling as he sat up and stared at the floor for a while.

"You okay Eren?" Levi took one step closer but didn't go any further into the apartment. The youngster hid his face into his palms but stayed quiet. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"What? Speak properly brat." Levi took off his shoes and sat next to him.

"I'm sorry you had to drive me here and shit.. You probably have better things to do than take care of a drunk." Eren raised his voice enough for Levi to hear, still keeping it low.

"Yeah i do have better things to do to be honest but I would rather take you home safe than read an article of a drunk brat freezing himself to death." The cop lifted himself from the couch to leave but his sleeve was grabbed. "Please don't leave me yet.." Eren spouted but after realizing what he was doing, he crossed his arms to his chest. "I uh.. Sorry.. Don't mind me."

 _I'm so stupid.. He is a fucking cop, I can't just ask him to keep me company. He has an important job and probably stuff to do._

"Want me to stay?" Levi turned to face Eren. He was not expecting that and lifted his gaze from the floor back to Levi with the faintest of blushes on his cheeks. Eren wasn't sure what to answer to this. Of course he wanted the cop to stay and make him feel safe for a while longer but.. He couldn't be so selfish to put himself ahead of the duties of an officer. "No, I'm fine. You can go." He tried to fake a smile as Levi glared at him like searching for a lie. He just nodded to Eren's request, not pushing him any further, "we have some new info about the previous incident so I'll call you tomorrow to talk about it if that's okay." Receiving a nod with a smile from the brunet, Levi left the flat with a wave.

He walked to his car and lit a cigarette. He watched the smoke disappear into the air lost in his thoughts. _Did he just manage to.. Tch! I was just getting sick of listening to his crap._


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: 5th chapter is here yes.  
Not much happening in this one and ITS TOO SHORT I KNOW I'M SO SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME ;_;  
I have so much to do and shit..  
So now that I get to update it once a week, it gets longer and I'm happier (':  
The evening shifts are a pain so yeah..  
Anyway thanks for the support and enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHASE**

 _God, it feels like someone is bashing my skull against a wall.._ Eren lifted his head to look around. Every part of his body hurt and there was a reason for that: He had dozed off in the bathroom. He lifted himself up from the rug and sat on the toilet lid. _Never again.. Hangover is so not cool._ Holding his head in his hands, Eren took deep breaths as his vision returned normal and sharp from the drunken and hazy. He picked up his phone from the floor and checked the messages and calls. Four missed calls and a text message. Two of the calls were from Mikasa, one from Armin and one from an unknown number. He read Mikasa's text first.

From: Mikasa  
23:43pm yesterday  
Eren are you okay? Where are you? Jean mumbled something about a cop taking you home? Did you get hurt? Do I need to kick someone's ass?  
Eren just smiled at the text. He probably should ease her sister's stress and worries.

To: Mikasa  
14:22pm  
Im fine.. Just a bit of a hangover.. Ill call and explain everything later today kay?

Sigh.. _But who was that unknown number? My memories from last night are pretty blurry._ Eren pressed the 'send' -button as he left the bathroom. Maybe water would ease his urge to vomit. He took a light blue glass from the top shelf and filled it with water. Cold water really did the trick and he felt much better now, even though his banging headache was still there. His phone started buzzing almost immediately when he had sat down on the couch, making him jump back up again. The caller was Mikasa.  
"Hey, you're awake now? Got any time to talk?" She sounded a little worried. Eren started walking around the house as he spoke.

"Yeah I just woke up.. I guess you called to talk about last night?" He paused for a second before continuing, "I umm.. You saw what happened with Jean and that we got thrown out? Soo.. I think we fought outside too and then Levi appeared out of no where.." Eren was cut off by Mikasa raising her voice a little, "Who is Levi?".

"Oh, he is one of the officers who questioned us when the cafe incident happened. So yeah, he decided to give me a ride home and then he left." Eren finished.

"So he just drove you home?" She sounded a little cold. "Armin could have done that."  
"Well yeah but I was so drunk and I wasn't thinking straight, so it seemed like a safe idea then.. And it was, he is a cop after all!" Eren blurted out the last sentence.  
Mikasa hummed as a response before talking, "when Jean came back without you, we thought he beat you up. Marco gave him a good lecture and scolded him for being an ass. Thanks to him, Jean apologized to us for his behaviour."

"I'm sorry too, really. I didn't plan on starting a fight." Eren's voice was a mixture of sadness and embarrassment. His grip on his phone tightened as he apologized.

"It's fine now. I'll see you soon okay?" She sounded gentler now than before and it made Eren feel better. Eren nodded for an answer and Mikasa ended the call as if she knew he had nodded. Eren made his way to the kitchen to make some coffee only to notice he had ran out of it. _Fine, no coffee for me_. He sighed and informed Armin about his talk with Mikasa with a text. Armin was just happy Eren was alive and well. He fondled his phone in his hands and stared at the unknown number. He tried to remember if he had given his number to someone yesterday. Had he hit on someone? He remembered the fight with Jean and that Levi drove him home but nothing more. And these memories too were hazy. He decided to go for it and call the number. He started to feel nervous, he had no idea who he was calling. _Maybe it was a salesman_. The call beeped about five times and Eren was about to hang up when a smooth voice answered, "Officer Ackerman."


	6. Chapter 6

**This is the sixth chapter.  
I'm sorry this comes so late and on the last day of the deadline.  
God I have 7 minutes till the deadline is over so I'll be quick.  
SORRY ABOUT THE TYPOS  
This was a nice chapter to write, I don't know why but I like it..  
Please leave reviews! Love YOU ALL!  
THANK YOU!**

* * *

 **CHASE**

As soon as Levi's voice reached Eren's ears, the rest of his memories from last night hit him like a wave. It took him a second before answering to the older male. "Hi, It's Eren. Eren Jaeger. You called me?" He paced back and forth unsure of how to settle himself.  
"Afternoon. If I recall correctly, I told you I would call you to give more information on the cafe case. You were pretty drunk though so I wont judge if you forgot." Levi's suave voice was music to Eren's ears.  
"I.. Yeah I remember now." Eren was pretty embarrassed. He decided not to make the phone call any more awkward.  
"Would you like to meet me somewhere so we can have a chat? If that's okay with you? I'm fine with talking over the phone too." Levi asked.  
"No it's fine.. Where do you want to meet?" Eren's cheeks were getting hot. He assured himself this would not be a date. They barely knew each others names. _It's about the case he is working on, it is not a date._ He couldn't help but get a little disappointed.  
"There is a cafe near your house. It's called Cafe Rose. Are you able too meet me there in an hour?" The smooth voice asked and Eren felt hotter. "Yeah sure. I'll see you then."  
The phonecall ended with that.

Eren went to brush his teeth and get rid of the hung over -look. He skipped into his bedroom to choose clothes. He wanted to look good, but not so fancy as to make Levi laugh at him for pretending that the meeting was a date. When had he even developed any feelings for the officer? Eren hadn't been infatuated with anyone for a long time so this feeling was kind of new to him. _Oh for fuck's sake. I don't have time for this crap._ He facepalmed himself as he picked a light green shirt and grey khakis _. A little cologne never hurt nobody!_ He sang as he applied some.

* * *

He had forgotten all about his headache when he rushed out of his apartment. He had time to spare but better early than late. The weather was pleasantly chilly and fresh, not too cold. He walked around for a while before spotting the cafe. It was small but when he stepped inside, he noticed it being quite expensive looking. _Damn I wish I have enough money not to get sucked dry._ The place was obviously popular, judging by the number of customers. The cafe was light colored and the floor, chairs and tables were creamy, almost white wood, with light blue here and there. Eren took a look at the selection of beverages and desserts. _Wow, it all looks so good_. His mouth was watering already, reminding him he hadn't had anything to eat yet. He decided to pick what to eat before Levi came, in order to avoid the awkward 'what the fuck do I choose' silence. While still staring at the food behind the counter someone poked him in the head, making him turn around in panic. He didn't even get to yell at the stranger for touching him before his voice got stuck in his throat. The harrasser was Levi. "Sorry for startling you, but you looked so mesmerized by the food I wasn't sure how to get your attention. But yeah, hello." Levi said as he walked next to Eren to take a look at the desserts himself. Eren lost interest in the food when he saw the shorter man next to him. He was wearing a black dress shirt that fit his slim body perfectly, with two buttons left open to reveal his collarbones. Eren allowed his eyes to wander down to notice Levi was wearing black jeans with a chain attached to the side and casual black loafers. He was carrying a briefcase, which wasn't a surprise, since they were supposed to discuss formal matters.

"How may I help you?" A female voice asked behind the counter as she set her eyes on Levi. "I'll have a macchiato, please" The woman started making the coffee, giving Eren more time to decide what to pick. To be honest he wanted to have everything. To taste every pastry there was, to chomp every piece of cake on the counter and finish them with a gallon of every available drink, hot and cold. His happy food thoughts were interrupted when Levi cleared his throat to snap Eren out of his fantasy. "What would you like, sir?" The barista asked in a pleasant voice.  
"One bakewell tart, please." Eren's eyes followed the woman as she placed the tart on a plate and handed it to him, "Enjoy!". Levi was already paying for the orders. Eren was about to protest, but had no choice but to deal with it as Levi glared daggers at him when he opened his mouth. _Why would he pay for me anyway? Why was he being so nice?_ Surely Eren was overthinking and Levi was just being polite.

* * *

Levi chose a table with less of a crowd around them to discuss the incident. Eren followed straight behind and almost bumped into Levi when he stopped and guided Eren to sit on the other side. Levi sipped his expensive, leaf decorated macchiato and stared at Eren, who was poking the tart with a fork. "Stop playing with it." Levi put his coffee down noticing his tune had startled Eren again. "Sorry. You sure you are not some kind of an small animal that gets scared of loud noises, cause you sure look like one now." Eren wasn't sure whether the comment was a sarcastic joke or an insult but he stopped playing with the tart. He was just nervous. How could he not be? He was at a cafe with an attractive man. Not on a date though, he assured, but still anyone would be nervous in the same situation. Levi was a cop anyway, so it made things even more nerve wracking. Eren felt the urge to try very hard to act like a law abiding citizen, even though he had nothing to worry about, not being a criminal and all. He really needed something to ease his nerves.  
"Are you okay? You look a little pale." Levi's eyes fell on Eren's face again, making his cheeks heat up. At least he wouldn't look pale anymore. "No, I'm totally fine, sorry." Eren averted his gaze. He started eating the tart waiting for Levi to start the conversation.  
"Well you know what I asked you here for. So if you are still open to talk about it, we should start." Levi placed a thick envelope on the table, first making sure it was clean of course, and took out a neat stack of papers. "You don't have to be so nervous. I'm not here to arrest you. If this is too nerve overwhelming and scary, we don't have to talk about it. There are many people who have had the same experience as you. Some of them couldn't take it, some of them got over it easily so.. Just say if this is too much." Levi's voice was soothing, maybe even caring.  
Eren simply nodded.  
"We have been onto these few criminals for a while now. The ones that striked the cafe were from the same pack we are chasing now. They are not stupid and that's pretty much why we haven't caught them yet." The ravenette finished his coffee and Eren couldn't help but stare when he noticed Levi holding the cup in a weird way. _How can he drink from it like that?_  
The cup was placed back on the table. Eren covered his mouth with his hand to hold back a giggle when he spotted some of the cream still on Levi's upper lip.  
"What is it now?" Eren's giggle apparently irritated him a notch. Eren pointed at Levi's lip blushing a little, "you have some cream there". Levi quickly wiped it off with a napkin and murmured something to himself starting to read the papers faster than normal person would. _Was he embarrassed? Because I pointed him having cream on his lip? That I would have really gladly licked off. No, Eren! That's not okay, stop._

"There are three to four 'main' criminals in their gang, who commit most of the robberies and stuff. We know most of their identities but I can't reveal them to you so I'll just skip that part." Levi went over the papers eyeing some of them a while longer than the others and then continuing. Eren would have wanted to know who those people were. He was still pissed at them for everything. Taking Mikasa's bracelet she got from her girlfriend, robbing and treating old people harshly, but most of all what they did to Armin. No one should be pointed at with a gun.  
"The stuff they stole from you and the others, will be reimbursed to you. We will catch them in time though, so if they still have the original items, you'll get them back." Levi said when he saw Eren clenching his fists, thinking Eren was upset for the stolen items. As Eren was lost in his thoughts Levi had a chance to take a proper look at the youngster. His hair was as messy as always, hanging on his face. His high, soft cheekbones and light pink lips. The most captivating features of Eren, however, were his eyes. Forest green and ocean blue dancing together, blending into a pleasant mix of colors one could easily get lost into. Not that Eren wasn't attractive either way.  
His eyes lightened and expression softened when he turned his head back to Levi, forming an eye contact. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?" The brunet asked awkwardly.  
Levi turned his eyes away and adjusted the papers once more, "no, is there something you'd like to ask?"  
"No, I think I got enough information." Eren smiled despite the fact that he would have wanted to know more. Levi took a glance at the clock on the wall. It was nearly five and the sun was setting. "Shall we go then?" Levi gestured as he put the papers back and stood up taking his cup to the dishes. Eren followed suit and they left side by side.

"Want me to take you home? I'm driving." Levi walked to his car, opening the door for Eren to get in with a questioning look on his face. Eren wasn't sure if he should. These feelings weren't good anyway. Should he just indulge in his feelings only to get rejected and broken again?

 _Fuck it._ Eren got in and Levi closed the door so he could walk to the driver's side.  
The drive was silent, mostly because Eren remembered his drunken idiocy and was embarrassed. _Oh god. I hope Levi doesn't despise me. I'm such a kid._ His eyes took in everything in the car. There wasn't much stuff though, on the contrary, it was very neat and fresh. Not like many other cars he had been in that smelled like gas and cigarettes. They stopped in front of Eren's house and as Eren was getting out of the car and right before slamming the door shut, he heard Levi's smooth voice, "take care, Eren."


	7. Chapter 7

CHASE

 **AN: Okay 7th chapter is here!**  
 **I'm sorry it's late a day but yeah why would you want my excuses.**  
 **Hope you still bare with me and enjoy this fic!**  
 **Thank you everyone, please leave opinions of it.**  
 **\\(u)/**

* * *

The next day after meeting with Levi, Eren came home from work, his mind racing. He had been thinking about their meeting, Levi wearing his silky, black dress shirt that licked his slim waist. He hadn't really paid any attention at work, receiving complaints from a few customers. He shouldn't be letting his guard down and thoughts wander. It wasn't good for him.

After getting home, he slouched into the bathroom to take a shower, lazily and cumbersomely peeling off his clothes. He left them on a pile in the middle of the room, not giving a fuck about the already growing mess inside his apartment. About five minutes went by as Eren tried to find the perfect water temperature he could relax in. His mind wandered back to Levi and his cold, silver eyes. Levi had looked a lot gentler on their recent meeting than when he first met him after the incident. When he had questioned Eren, his eyes had been icy and piercing. Eren actually liked the sharp look he had received. It wasn't something he liked to admit out loud but Eren actually liked being dominated, and Levi's gaze was definitely doing the trick. He could feel his member grow hard at the thoughts. Eren grunted in frustration. This isn't what he needed now.

He turned off the shower. Ignoring his arousal, he slid on a pair of black boxers and walked out with a towel on his head. He decided to cool off his head so he went out for a run with a beige shirt and a pair of light grey sweats with white trainers. The fresh, crisp autumn air felt good. He ran towards Armin's cafe, it would be closed by now but he didn't care. His breathing became raspy and thighs ached but he wouldnt give up just yet. He decided to pick up his pace. As he was running downhill, he suddenly stumbled, lost his footing and was sent flying face-first for a brick wall. With lightning reflexes, he managed to break the fall with his hands before letting his nose hit the building. He had to take a moment to calm down and keep his heart from bursting out of his chest. _Fuck that was scary._ Noticing he was close to his destination, he walked the rest of the way.

Eren had worked an evening shift so it was probably past 10 pm now. He hugged himself after noticing it was getting chilly and he got goosebumps. _I should have taken a hoodie_. The sky was pitch black already and there weren't many stars to lighten it up. He watched his breath form a cloud in the air and disappear. He stopped before a playground where he often saw families with their kids playing on the slide and seesaw. He opened the white, metal gate and walked in taking a look around. It was peaceful. No screaming and crying kids. No annoying laughter. No fake smiles of the mothers chatting with each other, hiding their dislike for other families. It was only Eren. He could now breathe properly and he did, filling his whole body with the silence and then slowly breathing out.

He walked past the slide, coming towards the blue swings. They looked lonely so why not sit down for a while? It had been ages since his last 'playtime'. Running a little before hopping on the swing, to give it a push, a smile creeped on Eren's lips as his speed increased. He actually enjoyed himself _. I should bring someone here._ When his speed was as high as he could get it, he jumped in the air to land on his feet at ease.

A car, probably green or blue, he couldn't tell in the darkness, drove past and stopped close by. Eren stared at the car, a bad feeling swirling in his stomach. Gripping his shirt tighter, he held his breath. He stood still, keeping his eyes fixed on the vehicle. The feeling of being watched almost drove him nuts. He was scared and probably shaking. You never know who you run into at this time of night. After a minute that seemed to last a good half an hour, the car drove off and Eren could loosen up again. Maybe heading home would be a good idea?

Eren didn't end up visiting Armin's cafe. He was too busy being paranoid of being followed on his way home. He practically ran home without taking a glance to see whether he was or not, too scared to see if someone was actually there. He ran up the stairs and quickly shut the door behind him. His breathing was still rapid but he calmed down soon.

After getting the chance to take a good look at his apartment, he noticed it looked like a dump. _I should clean this before it gets worse._ Eren was too tired of doing that though so he fell on his bed, not bothering to take off his clothes.

* * *

Eren had left his window open to prevent his room getting hot overnight, only to end up regretting it in the morning when he was woken up by the birds. He grunted, sending the blanket flying across the room. His eyes widened and drowsiness faded in a second when he checked the time. He was late by an hour. _Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuuuuck. Why is this happening?_ With no time to eat breakfast, Eren flew out of his flat, taking his bike with him from the cellar. He pedaled as fast as he could, almost getting ran over by a bus.

When the familiar building came into view, he parked his bike and jogged to the backdoor in the alley. His hands were shaking when he searched for the keys. Finally finding them and unlocking the door, Eren walked in ignoring his coworkers laughs and teases. He changed into his work clothes in a bat of an eye, checking his hair for the last time. He took the stairs to the second floor where the so-called office was and Eren's boss spent most of his time. He knocked on the door, receiving an invite and opened it. "I'm sorry sir, for being late, I mean." Eren put his hands to his sides. His boss could be scary if he wanted to, so you didn't want to get on his bad side.

"Yes, you are late. Why? You have a long day today, I hope you didn't skip an hour out of laziness." Oluo lifted his gaze from the papers to examine the brunet. The room was clean, everything being in order, except for his desk that was full of paperwork, pens and envelopes.

"I overslept. I had a rough night and.. I'm sorry. It wont happen again." Eren explained.

"I heard you haven't been yourself lately. I hope you can get your shit together and continue your work normally. You have been a hard worker till now and I wouldn't want that to change. Be sure to come talk to me if you see the need to." Oluo shooed Eren out after Eren's accepting nod. _Well that went better than expected._  
Eren returned downstairs to start serving customers. He wouldn't want to disappoint all the teens who came to the restaurant only to see Eren work. Eren had been working at the restaurant for two years and he had his favourite regulars of course. One of his regulars was an older, bald man with wrinkles or scars under his eyes. He ordered different alcoholic drinks most of the time, even for the first thing in the morning. "Good morning Pixis, how may I serve you today?" Eren smiled at the man.  
"Oh Eren, I was wondering why you weren't here and scared I would have to order from that buzzcut kiddo. He is too energetic for my taste." Pixis laughed and shook Eren's hand. It was one of his habits.  
Eren went to get Pixis his whisky and returned with a glass bowl of bread sticks he placed on the table next to the drink. "It's on me today." Eren flashed a smile and left the table.

* * *

Eren was exhausted and in a need of a break. He whined as a glance at the clock showed it was only half past noon. His lunch break would be after 2pm and that seemed too far away to wait. He returned from the kitchen with a bowl of tomato soup. He yawned but shut his mouth when the customer took a look at him. _Yes I'm a hard worker. Stop staring at me._ He hated when there were people who tried to find anything to complain about.  
Eren was just placing the plate in front of the silver haired female to enjoy when his foot slipped and he himself flew on the table. The female yelped in surprise and shielded her face from the soup.  
"Ah fuck!" Eren shouted, gaining peoples attention. He lifted himself off the table, hissing from the hot soup that burned through his shirt. He stared at his clothes that were drenched in tomato, then remembered the customer and took a look at her. She had shielded her face so the soup only flew on her hands and hair. Most of the soup had spilled on the table where Eren's shirt absorbed it from.  
"Oh my god! I am so sorry. Are you okay? Were you burned?" The panic in Eren's voice was taking over as he helplessly tried to clean the woman off.  
"I'm not burned, badly at least." The woman had a steady voice. Eren was surprised she didn't start to cry. "Do you need a doctor?" Eren was so embarrassed of himself he could dig a hole to bury himself in. He was glad that the soup was on him and not the customer. He didn't even notice the burning pain on his skin when all he could think was her condition.

"What is happening here!?" It was a scary and loud voice that pushed Eren over the edge. _Well I'm dead now._ Eren turned to face his boss who looked furious. "Eren, what did you do?" He sounded like he was going to explode.  
"I, sir.. I slipped and the soup and.." Eren trailed off and tears formed in his eyes. _Fuck, you piece of shit. Good job, can't do anything right can you?_ He felt like hitting himself in the head with a baseball bat.

"I am truly sorry about this ma'am. Are you okay?" Oluo's voice took a surprisingly pleasant tune. He walked past Eren to the female and offered his hand to help her up. The whole room of people were now staring at the scene and whispers filled the room.  
"I'm fine thanks. I suppose I don't have to pay for this." She adjusted her glasses with her middle finger.  
"No! Of course not. This is all our fault. If there is something you want us to do.." Oluo gave her a bunch of napkins.  
"No. I think I'll go home for today." She took her purse and left the restaurant with confidence.  
"Eren, clean this now." Oluo left Eren with a 'do this again and I'm killing you' -look.  
Eren cleaned the table and took the dishes in the kitchen, earning a snort from Jean before he locked himself in the employees restroom. He looked like a walking tomato soup. Everything on him was sticky and hot. The stinging pain from the soup came to him when he looked at himself, making him take off his shirt. His whole abdomen was pinkish red. Eren took a handful of paper, soaking them in cold water and then pressing gently on his stomach. He bit his lip so he wouldn't grunt in pain. _Fucking shit. I need something for this._

Eren threw the papers in the trash and left the bathroom, not bothering to button his shirt the whole way up. The first aid kit was in the kitchen's backroom. Eren tried to peek for an opening so he wouldn't have to deal with the horseface, then tiptoed his way to the backroom. Whew. He opened the kit taking out the burn gel. _I bet this is gonna feel worse than a stick up my ass._ He unbuttoned his stained shirt, popped open the gel and filled his palm with the cold goo. The coldness of the gel made him sigh in relief when it ceased to hurt. Eren took off his shirt so he could spread the gel on his arms that had burned too. _I need a new shirt. God damn it._ He put the gel back and washed his hands. He covered his shoulders with the shirt and walked out. A slight discomfort started building up in his stomach when Jean walked towards him. _I don't have time for this shit right now. Fuck my life. This definitely isn't my day._ Jean was probably about to throw a stupid joke at Eren but he brushed past him before he had a chance to speak up. Eren dashed his way to the locker room to change. He threw the drenched one into their 'official' laundry basket and searched his locker for a new one. He usually had two or three shirts with him just in case. After changing and preparing himself mentally, Eren left to continue his serving.

In the hallway Jean peeked from around the corner and smirked when he saw Eren's tired expression. "That's not how you do fanservice, Eren. Good job though. She looked pleased."  
Eren flicked him off as he walked past him but getting grabbed by his hand stopped him. Eren was tired of Jean's shit. What was his problem? Why be such an ass? "What do you gain from this?" Eren said and pointed at Jean's grip on his hand.  
"Pleasure." He smiled.  
 _Wow. He is more fucked up than I thought_. "I don't know how Marco puts up with you. He must have nerves of steel." Eren turned his face away from Jean, the hand on his wrist tightening its grip. "Say another word of Marco and I'll kill you." Jean gritted his teeth as he raised his fist.  
"Maybe he is just waiting to make salami out of you." Eren kept his voice calm.  
Just as Jean was about to hit the wall next to Eren's face, a hand landed on his shoulder.  
"I think you two should stop before both of your heads lay on that table." Oluo said pointing at the table where the orders were taken from. "Eren, my office, now." He walked away.  
 _How many times do I have to die in one day?_ Eren slouched up the stairs and reluctantly walked into the office _. Wow this is it. I'm gonna be fired for the first time in my life. Well at least I enjoyed my time here._ Eren sat down on the chair in front of Oluo's desk. He gulped.

"What was that about?" Oluo started. "No, never mind. You don't have to explain." He lifted his finger when Eren was about to explain himself. "I know you two aren't the best of friends." He had a pause. "Still it's not normal behavior to fight and argue at work nearly every day." He put down his pen, lifting his eyes on Eren. "Are you okay Eren? Is there something bothering you?" Eren shook his head in denial for the question. "I don't know what is going on in your life, but if you haven't noticed, your behavior has been off for a while now. This week has been the worst. Customers have been complaining about you being off." Oluo rested his head on the back of his hands. Eren felt uneasy. _This is it._  
"You're a hard worker, Eren, and the customers generally like you. But you need to sort yourself out. Until you do, you're laid off until further notice."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: 8th chapter peeps!**  
 **Just gonna say that I have nothing against Jean! He is one of my fav chracters. Yeah I may write about him being a meanie but I wanted him to be like that. Don't worry he has a nice side too.**  
 **This chapter is a lil angsty.**  
 **TRIGGER WARNING!**  
 **If you don't like suicidal stuff I'** **m sorry. Some of these are lil personal so I wanted to write about em (_:  
** **The next chapter WILL HAVE SMUT in it vinkvink (;**

 **Okay enjoy!**

* * *

CHASE

Oluo's concerned words echoed in Eren's head. He froze. He was sure he would be fired, he wasn't prepared for this. Unsure whether to be happy or disappointed, Eren's mind went blank. He blinked few times before swallowing, "I uh.. Okay. I guess I'll be going then.. Thank you." He nodded and left under Oluo's reassuring smile. _Sure everything will work out fine, right? I'll just have a little vacation for now. Yeah. Better this than being fired right? I'm practically fired though. Hehe hehe.. Fuck._

Eren walked to the locker room to gather his belongings , ignoring everything else. He stuffed his backpack full and took a plastic bag for the rest.

He wasn't sure what to do for the rest of the day. He actually had time. He could do anything, but nothing came to mind. Usually his thoughts were overflowing with stress and responsibilities but not now. Of course not, this is how it always goes.

* * *

Eren chose to visit Armin instead of going home. He needed to talk with someone, maybe open up a little. Armin was a great listener and advisor, making him Eren's number one 'talk-buddy'. As the cozy cafe came into view, Eren hurried his way down.

The doorbell rang pleasantly as Eren stepped in. This time Armin wasn't at the counter, it was his employee. Eren nodded a greeting, receiving a smile from Annie who had tied her hair up in a messy bun and was wearing a coffee-stained apron. "I'm guessing Armin is in the back?" He asked looking past her at the door leading to the break room.  
"Yeah, he is putting the kettle on." She said letting Eren in.

From the door opened a beige painted room that was split in half, on the other side a kitchen, and on the other, a small sofa, few shelves filled with books, and a radio. Armin was standing in the kitchen putting the tea bags away. Eren sneaked behind him slowly but surely and grabbed his shoulders, earning a squeal from him. Armin turned around startled, his hand on his chest, "Eren holy shi-. Don't do that!"

"Sorry. I couldn't miss the perfect opportunity." Eren laughed as he walked to the sofa to take a seat. Armin sat next to him, placing two cups of tea on the table before them. "So, what brings you here this early?" Armin raised an eyebrow.

The depressing thoughts hit Eren right away and his smile faded. "I want to talk to you. I'm in need of advice, and since you're the best at giving it, I came here." Eren said as he leaned back, sinking deeper into the couch.

"Okay. Go on. What is it about? Did something bad happen?" Armin hastily took a sip of his tea in anticipation, almost burning his tongue. "Eren took his mug, swirled it in his hands and sighed heavily. He described to Armin what had happened at work with the customer and Jean. "Oluo asked me to visit his office after my fuck ups and I was sure I would be fired. Well, after I sat down he started asking if I'm okay and shit. What am I supposed to answer to that? Of course I say I'm fine. He doesn't need to worry about me and my stupid personal life." Eren had a pause, taking a sip of his tea. Armin crossed his legs, getting more comfortable.

"He laid me off from work." Eren put his mug back on the table. "What am I supposed to do now?"  
Armin fiddled with a few locks of hair that had fallen loose from his ponytail and tucked them behind his ear, "isn't that better than being fired though?"  
Eren lifted his gaze from the carpet, back to Armin. "No. I am practically fired. I don't get any money and who knows when I can get back to work. If I get back at all."  
They both turned towards the door when they heard it being unlocked. Annie walked in with a dustpan and an annoyed look on her face.  
"What's wrong Annie?" Armin asked.

"Some kid broke one of our cups and the mother almost started crying when she apologized. The whole cafe turned to look at us and just ugh.." She threw her hands in the air in frustration.

"Hahaha. Yeah, it's kind of annoying sometimes when people bring kids." Armin smiled.  
"I have nothing against kids if they don't cause a scene." Annie murmured. Eren laughed in agreement. Annie cleaned after herself after taking a cup of tea and walked back into the cafe.

Armin turned back to Eren, "you don't have anyone to lend you money?"  
Eren sighed, "Mikasa said she would help if things ever got tough but.. I don't know if I wanna ask her to lend me any. She has done enough for me already."  
Armin rolled his eyes. "Eren please, she is your sister. Nothing bad about asking for help for once."

"No Armin, you don't understand. I don't want her to worry about me. I'm twenty for fuck's sakes, I need to be able to handle myself." Eren's voice cracked. "Fuck."  
Armin moved closer to Eren, putting a hand on his shoulder, "it's okay. I can help you with money if you accept it."  
Eren sniffed, covering his face with his sleeve. _God I'm so pathetic._ "Anything else on your mind?" The blonde asked. Well there was Levi.

"You know Levi? The guy who took me home that one night." Eren lifted his head. Armin nodded. "Well.. I think I have feelings for him. Kind of. I think." Eren shifted. "I catch myself thinking of him pretty often. It's stupid I know. He is an officer and probably married and has a nice family and.." Eren sniffed again. "I popped a fricken boner when I thought about him in the shower! I'm like a bloody teenager!" He buried his face in his hands. "I'm so embarrassing."

Armin laughed. "Eren that's great!"  
Eren looked at Armin questiongly, "what? No it isn't."  
Armin's hand on Eren's shoulder tightened, "yes it is! You haven't had a real relationship with feelings in forever. Go for it!"

Eren looked dumbfounded, "what? Are you out of your mind? Didn't I just say that he is probably happily married?"

Armin took a hold of Eren's shoulders, drawing them closer to each other. "Eren.." Their fourheads touched as Armin whispered. His bright, blue eyes met Eren's glossy ones. Eren hummed in response. "You don't know if he is married or not. Maybe he is single. Maybe he likes you too. Maybe you should stop being so negative and go for it." Armin smiled.

The door burst open and Annie walked in again. She eyed the odd couple with a amusment, "woah, don't let me interrupt your intimate moment." She laughed and placed dishes on the kitchen counter. Armin retreated giggling, "pfft, Annie you know I'm only a slut for you." The situation made Eren laugh. Armin's relationship with Annie was a good one. Their happiness cheered him up. Annie winked with a faint blush on her cheeks as she walked back out again. "Thanks Armin." Eren got up. "I'll be leaving now. Talk to ya later." He patted Armin on the head before walking to the door and shutting it behind him. "See ya, Annie!" He waved a goodbye as he walked out. He checked his phone: No messages or calls, 15.45 pm.

 _Welp.. I guess I'll be heading home then. I hope I have some beer left._

* * *

Eren tossed his shoes away and barged in, throwing his jacket on the floor. He still hadn't cleaned his apartment even though he had promised himself to do so. He walked straight to the fridge, opened it and grabbed a beer. He clicked it open and drank it in one gulp. _Thank fuck for these being here_.

The pile of empty cans was growing larger and larger. Eren needed something to ease his pain. He had felt better after talking with Armin but his negative thoughts had taken a hold of him soon enough. Eren was sitting on the floor, leaning back on the side of the couch. Judging by the darkness of the sky, Eren would say it was pretty late already, but he didn't care really. He couldn't care less about himself or anything. _Wow. How fucking pathetic can I get? I can't get any worse than this, right? I lost my mother, my relationships with people and now my job, with my idiocy. HAHAH. I should just die._

Eren finished his last can of beer and sighed. The floor was spinning. It was probably his head though but to Eren it seemed like it was the floor. I fucking hate myself.

He wobbled his way to his bedroom, sat on the bed and opened the drawer. He took out a blade and stared at it for a while. He didn't really think of anything when he drew the blade across his arm. The only things crossing his mind were: _I deserve this. I deserve all the pain in the world. I'm such a failure. Why am I alive?_

His vision was blurry but he felt better after watching the blood drip down his arm, onto his pants. He pressed a paper on the cuts to stop the bleeding, throwing it away afterwards. He put the blade back and got under the covers. He could change and wash his pants tomorrow. The only thing he needed at the moment was sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry this comes two days late.. I'm very busy with my part time job and barely have any time to breathe or sleep. My "personal assistant" (a friend of mine) hasn't been very well either these last few days so that is an issue too. I'll be updating this once a week from Tuesday to Thursday. I need to give myself a break from all these deadlines and other stress causers like drawing and school. I hope you still like this fic. Please enjoy my first time writing anything intimate!**

* * *

CHASE

Eren had tossed his dirty shirt and blood stained trousers into the washer, and was now sitting in front of the machine, just blankly staring at it. He was in his underwear, a pair of dark blue boxers. His bangs covered his eyes, not fully but enough to annoy him. Eren snapped from his daze, stood up and walked to the kitchen. He took his favourite mug, a yellow one with two pink stripes on the handle, and filled it with coffee. He was in the mood for something sweet, so he added sugar and milk into the liquid. He didn't think of anything. There was no daily routine for work, shopping or free time. No thoughts of any of his friends. No Levi. Nothing. Eren stared out of the kitchen window, nothing interesting outside either.  
He set the mug on top of the growing mountain of dishes as he made his way to the living room. His phone buzzed and caught his attention, he walked back into the kitchen to pick up his phone and check who the message was from. Mikasa was coming to visit him. He realized he should probably clean his apartment but couldn't bring himself to do it. Eren didn't bother to spend time on his outfit, the result being a pair of grey sweatpants and a black tank top. His doorbell rang sooner than he would have liked but he couldn't really leave it be, so he let Mikasa in with a smile, "morning!".  
She hugged him tight and before letting go, she grabbed Eren's shoulders to stare into his eyes for a second before putting her coat away and seating herself in the living room. "How are you feeling?" She asked. Eren sat next to her, "I'm fine. No need to worry." He assured with a smile.  
Mikasa didn't look like she would approve Eren's excuses. "You know I heard everything from Armin, right? Not that he would have told me without a little threatening." She smirked. Eren nodded. He knew Armin wasn't the kind of person to go rant about other peoples personal stuff, so it wasn't hard to guess how Mikasa had got the info out of him.  
"What are you planning to do?" She accustomed herself better on the couch. Eren's eyes met his feet for a while when he thought of what to say. "I umm.. Probably going to live one day at a time and see what happens in the future.. I don't know yet." He lifted his gaze to his sister. She reached for his hand that was on his lap, and he let her hold it. "You know you can always ask me for help. I will always be there for you. No matter what the situation is. Okay?" Her eyes were intense.  
"Yeah, Mikasa, I know. I appreciate it. But I don't need your help with money right now." Another attempt at an assuring smile. "I'll keep you updated on my situation and all that, okay?"  
The smile seemed to work because Mikasa let go of his hand with a sigh and stood up to leave. "I'll contact you soon." With a gentle click of the door she was gone.  
Eren sighed deep. _I'm glad that was over fast. I want to be alone._

* * *

The same crap day after day. Nothing changed. Eren just laid in his apartment. He wasn't even sure what day it was anymore. The time felt like it had stopped. He didn't have energy or willpower to do anything that required moving, so he hadn't really eaten anything either. His apartment was a mess. Dishes on nearly every surface of the house, dirty clothes laying on the floor and furniture. The whole place smelled like sweat and filth and depression. Eren had a balcony and a lot of windows but keeping them open was a bother so he kept them shut. It was a surprise there was any oxygen at all.  
Eren groaned as he flopped onto the floor from his bed. His frustration on everything was growing, he felt like punching a hole through the wall. He probably would be capable of doing so, but decided not to as the repair would cost more money than he had. He walked around his flat like a zombie not knowing what to do. No one had contacted him for a while. Well that wasn't anything new but he felt even lonelier when he thought about it. He hadn't gone out for his morning jogs or kept active, making him paranoid of gaining weight.  
Eren jumped over a pile of clothes on his way to the bathroom. The bags under his eyes couldn't be any darker. At least he had washed his brown locks yesterday so they weren't greasy. Ignoring how awful he looked, he shaved his growing beard, washed his face and a brushed his teeth, despite his situation he still had energy for that. Eren stumbled his way out of the bathroom, wearing only an over sized t-shirt. When he came back to his bedroom, his phone that was on the floor buzzed, and nearly gave him a heart attack. Eren always had his phone on mute but the vibrate was always on so it scared the crap out of him if it was laying on a hard surface _. About time someone talked to me._ He picked up his phone as he sat on his bed. A text from Levi.  
He was surprised by this, because Levi was the first of his friends to contact him. Was Levi even his friend? No, they were more like strangers than friends. Maybe he could get a chance to deepen their relationship. _Naaah.. That would be weird._  
Eren stared at the screen and the short name glowing on it for a while before unlocking his phone.

From: Levi  
13:23 pm  
Are you available later today? Around 6 pm?

Eren's heart skipped a beat. It had been a while since it had done that. His fingers flew across the screen as he replied.

To: Levi  
13:24 pm  
Yeah, I guess I am. What for?

He received a reply almost immediately.

From: Levi  
13:24 pm  
I'm taking you out. I'll pick you up. See you soon.

 _Is he taking me out, like on a date? Pfffft._  
Eren fell onto his bed, his phone still in his hand. He breathed out as he closed his eyes, whether he wanted to go or not. He didn't really have energy for anything, but maybe going out would do him good. He could be kind enough to go and see what Levi wanted to ask him out for. _Maybe they had caught the criminals._ Eren eyed his dim room, enjoying the silence before falling asleep.

Eren nuzzled his face deeper into the pillow he had hugged in his sleep. His eyes shot open when he surfaced from his dreams. "Fuuuuuck." He grunted as he jumped out of the bed, nearly falling on his face. He searched for his phone for a while before finding it buried between his sheets. _Only 16:25 pm_. _Whew, I still have time_. Making his way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, his heart settled down from the panic. He microwaved the cool coffee he had made in the morning. No sugar this time, just a teeny tiny bit of milk. He drank it in one gulp, making sure he would wake up. "Yey, another dish to put on top of this great mountain of filth." Eren threw his hands up to imitate the size of the dish pile as he set the mug on a spot where it could fit. He then looked down at his clothing. Deciding they were not appropriate, he marched into his bedroom to change into something nicer: A grey polo shirt and black skinny jeans. He yawned, dropped himself on the floor and let out a neurotic moan. "Ngaaaah.. Hnng.. Aaaaa!"  
Sounding like a dying animal, he curled himself into a ball. _Maybe I shouldn't go. He'll understand. I'll just say I'm tired and busy with work. Yeah, he doesn't know I'm a pathetic idiot with no job._ Eren sat up on the floor to stare out of the door. _Fuck, he will be here soon_. Eren couldn't help his nervousness that was building up. He checked his phone nearly every ten minutes, for any updates, the whole time he waited for the clock to strike 6 pm.  
When it finally did, Eren slouched his way to put on a pair of black converse sneakers and a brown coat. He took the elevator to the ground floor, walked next to a window and gazed out for any signs of the ravenette. A white car drove in soon after. Eren felt like exploding from all the butterflies in his stomach.

Levi got out of the car and lit a cigarette right away. Eren froze for a second when he took in all the enthralling features of the ravenette. Like always, his hair hung on his forehead. His thin brows were furrowed in concentration over his sharp, grey eyes as he held the cigarette in his pale fingers. He wore a blue shirt under his leather jacket that stopped before his hips, a pair of black jeans and knee-high boots.  
Eren slowly clicked the front door open to walk over to Levi's car. He looked a bit intimidating in his leather jacket to be honest, but it suited him. "Hey." Eren said in a soft tone to catch Levi's eyes that were fixed to the ground. His stony face didn't even flinch but his eyes showed a light smile that made Eren feel at ease.  
"Yo, you ready?" Levi stomped on the cigarette before opening a door for Eren. Eren quietly made himself comfortable in the fancy car. It had light grey leather seats and the back windows were tinted so people couldn't see inside. They exchanged a few words over the ride, but didn't really get a chance to start a proper conversation yet. Eren's stomach had settled by the time they arrived to their destination. Levi got out of the car first and was about to help Eren do so too, but he had already helped himself out. An Italian restaurant towered before Eren. "So, Italian huh?" He thought out loud.  
"Yeah, it's a good place, trust me." Levi made his way to the door and held it open, Eren dozed off for a second before Levi cleared his throat to snap him back to reality and get inside. Levi apparently had made a reservation because a tall waitress showed them to their table. The menu wasn't as expensive as one might think from the appearance of the restaurant. They actually had affordable prices.  
Eren sighed in frustration of what to order. _Maybe spaghetti. No. Maybe pizza. No. Maybe I should take tomato soup. Aww hell no, no tomato soup ever again_. "I'll have a margherita pizza, please." Eren put the menu down. Levi wasn't sure what to order yet. He flicked through the pages several times before placing the menu on the table, " a Ligurian Pasta Trenette for me, please."  
"To drink?" The waitress asked. Levi looked at Eren and then back at the waitress.  
"A bottle of the house red." The waitress left. Eren's nervousness started to show when they were left alone. Levi didn't seem to be bothered by any feelings like these. He looked as calm as ever. Eren shifted in his chair and rubbed his sweaty hands together. _Fuck, I can't do this. Why am I here._ His thoughts were interrupted by Levi placing a hand in front of Eren on the table. Eren looked at him questioningly.  
"Are you okay? You look pretty pale." Levi slid his hand off the table. Eren tried to smile and stop fidgeting in his chair. He probably looked like he needed to use the bathroom. "Totally fine. Just a little nervous. That's all."  
Levi moved his eyes to the waitress who came back with their orders. The delicious smell of the pizza captivated Eren's nose immediately. He hummed in approval. Maybe warm food will raise his mood. They both enjoyed their meals in silence. Awkward silence in Eren's opinion. The pizza tasted as good as the smell had promised. _Definitely worth the money_. Levi filled his glass with wine, doing the same for Eren's. Eren looked at the liquid with interest before taking the glass to his lips. Bitter. Eren turned his nose up at it, clearly not liking it. Levi seemed to notice this, "not to your liking?" he laughed. He laughed. _Wow. That was weird, but adorable. Definitely adorable_.  
"It's a bit too bitter for my taste, sorry." Eren apologized, placing the glass back.  
"It's fine. Want something else to drink?" Levi asked with a pleasant tone. _Good, he is not mad at me_. _Or maybe he is mad at me, but wont show it. Why would he be mad at me for not liking the wine? What the fuck, I need to stop now._ Levi moved his plate aside, "so how are you? Your life and all."  
Eren wasn't sure how to answer to this. "I'm good." A simple answer was probably for the best.  
"You don't look so good, you know. Don't get me wrong. You look very nice tonight, but you don't look healthy. Are you eating properly?" Levi straightened himself as his eyes nailed Eren to the chair. Eren gulped. He felt pressured. He wanted to tell Levi everything but at the same time he didn't want him to know. _He probably wouldn't even care_. It was very likely that Eren would start to cry if he told anything. He didn't want to make things anymore awkward between them. It would be embarrassing for both of them if he started to cry in a restaurant, on a date. That would be the ticket for Levi to fly out of his life. Levi had become important to him at some point. Not like important as in 'I would die for him' -important, but important enough to care for their well-being. "I have all night to listen if you want." Levi put his hand back on the table, closer to Eren's. Eren didn't move. He was lost in his thoughts, fighting the urge to complain and cry about everything and acting happy and normal. _Maybe I'll just shut up._ Levi took a hold of Eren's hand. Eren kept his eyes on his lap. "Eren.." Levi whispered. Eren slowly lifted his eyes up to meet Levi's intense but caring stare. With his other hand, Levi gestured the waitress to bring them the check. Eren didn't even bother to put up a fight with who was gonna pay for him. He wanted to get home. "Lets go." Levi walked Eren out of the restaurant, hand in hand.

Eren's hands were cold. Levi squeezed his palm tighter, hoping to warm it up, as they walked to the car. He opened the door for Eren and got in himself afterwards. Even through the drive he used one hand on the wheel while holding Eren's hand with the other. Eren stared out of the window the whole time. He should be happy. He got a date, delicious meal, a good looking guy driving him home. But he felt nothing. He was tired and numb. He felt Levi's eyes on him from time to time but neither of them said anything. Eren was grateful to Levi, for taking him out and trying to get him to open up. He appreciated everything Levi had done. But he still felt guilty. The problem wasn't Levi, It was him.  
Levi parked in front of the familiar building where Eren lived. After turning off the engine, it got quiet. Eren finally realized where they were, then looking at Levi, he smiled lightly, "thank you."  
"Any time." Levi gave a laconic response but it was filled with kindness. He ran his thumb across Eren's palm. It was peaceful and it felt nice. Eren could have dozed off to sleep right there and then, but kept his eyes on Levi. Levi inched closer, keeping his eyes on those green, mesmerizing orbs. "You are beautiful." He said in the heat of the moment, closing the gap between them. Eren let out a hum as he tried to figure out what was happening. Levi moved his other hand to unlock his seatbelt, to get more space, then to Eren's neck. Eren pressed his lips harder on the older man's soft ones. He didn't dare to move anything apart from his head. Levi restrained himself from the kiss before it got deeper, "I like you Eren.. And I don't know what's going on in your life right now, but.." He cupped Eren's cheek, "I want you to sort your head and contact me then, ok-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before Eren crashed their lips together again. It was Levi's turn to be surprised as Eren deepened the kiss by sliding his tongue across his lower lip. Levi opened his mouth slightly to let the youngster explore his mouth for a while before taking control of the kiss. Eren let out a pleased moan when their tongues fought for dominance, him giving up soon after. He slid his hands up the ravenette's back to grab his black locks. Levi leaned himself over Eren to get a better position in the cramped car. Eren ended up leaning his back against the door while Levi was on his knees before him. The kiss got sloppy and greedy, neither of them getting enough exploring one another. Levi was grabbing Eren's sides and chest while Eren hung on his neck. Levi kissed his way through Eren's face, first kissing his chin, then moving down towards his neck, earning quiet whimpers from the brunet. Levi nibbled on the youngster's neck, lightly enough not to leave any marks. He ran both his thumbs over Eren's nipples through his shirt. Eren gasped, grabbing the ravenette harder. Levi moved back up to kiss Eren again. Eren cut the kiss short though when he turned his head to nibble Levi's earlobe. Levi grunted, taking Eren's head into his hands, he gave a quick kiss on his lips before breaking away, "I won't go further with you tonight.. But I have a feeling we will meet again in the same terms." He smirked. Eren felt how hot his face was now that he wasn't focusing on Levi alone. He nodded, fixed his clothes and opened the door to leave, holding Levi's hand.  
"Thank you, again."

He smiled.

* * *

 **AN: Haha sorry it didn't turn out as a hot sex scene! You'll get it though, just you wait.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Sorry I've been a depressed lazyass. Haven't updated in a month and I still feel awful about it. This is the 10th chapter though. It's a little different bc it shows more than just Eren's life, situation whatever. There is Armin x Annie fluff bc I wanted something cute and happy for a change. And to inform you, I didn't forget about the robbers when I wrote this, they were haunting me in the back of me head all the time, I just didn't find a good opening for them. My writing is rusty now (especially in the beginning). I'm sorry. I will finish this fic, don't worry.**  
 **Love ya!**  
 **Enjoy!**

CHASE

"Put the boxes down there and come over here. I need to discuss some matters with you." A low voice commanded. Two people were carrying boxes, they placed them in a dark corner of the room and walked up to the speaker. The room was dark apart from sunlight let in by cracks in loose panels, lighting it enough to see what they are doing. Dust covered the place leaving the air musty.

Their boss was a clever man. He had good tactics and plans for everything his crew did. He wasn't the type to praise even if you did well, but that made them respect him even more. Though they were usually commanded by his assistant and he rarely joined them personally, this week was special.

"I was asked to return here because you apparently have good news for me." The low voice started. One of the two stepped forward and nodded in confirmation. The one standing behind fidgeted, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. Their boss was intimidating when he was angry but now, even in a good mood, something in his aura made them both be on edge.

"Update me then, please." The man crossed his arms.

The one in the front cleared his throat before speaking, "on our mission in the cafe, I saw someone I haven't seen in a long time. It took me by surprise but in a good way. I used to be a friend of his and he is the kind of person you have been talking about." He paused before continuing, "I think you would be interested in him." A small smirk crawled on his lips.

Their boss unfolded his hands with a curious look on his face, "do tell me more."

The smirk grew wider, "Eren Jaeger, sir."

The one standing behind stepped forward and nodded. Their boss stood in silence, staring off into space before smiling devilishly, "Oh, Eren Jaeger, the real deal indeed." He let out a laugh that echoed in the room, making the rest two look at each other in confusion. Did their boss know who he was talking about?

The laughter stopped and a fourth member walked in and stood next to the boss. "I heard that you were talking about Eren Jaeger?"

Eren's heart was pounding like it was going to burst out of his ribcage. His head was spinning but he managed to get into his apartment without fainting right then and there. After closing his front door, he leaned on his knees, taking deep breaths. _It's okay. I did fine. He doesn't hate me. He likes me. Oh my fucking god he likes me_. Eren though that his face couldn't get any hotter but the thoughts of what had just happened in the car proved him wrong. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as the foul smell in his apartment made him gag. There were still dishes and clothes all over the surfaces. Eren covered his nose with his shirt before starting cleaning. First he decided to take care of the dishes. Since they didn't all fit into the dishwasher, he had to wash some of them in a sink.

Picking up and shoving his dirty laundry into a washing machine was a lot easier. After finishing the chores, he opened a window to get rid of the disgusting, stingy air. Phew. "Maybe I've done enough for today. I need a shower." He breathed out before heading back to the bathroom.

The kettle finished boiling so Eren filled his cup with the water, adding a blueberry flavored tea bag in it. He put the cup on the TV stand, flicked the TV on and walked into his bedroom to change. He heard the news reader report on the weather, then switching to a guy giving the sports updates. Nothing that would interest Eren. He put on a purple sweater, grey jeans and white ankle socks. He jumped over onto the couch to enjoy his tea. He forgot that the window was still open, and was reminded of it when a cold wind blew inside. _Oh god it's cold_. Eren walked to the window, glancing at the traffic below him before closing it. He had had the urge to jump off the balcony from time to time during his depression, but never actually having the courage to do it. He sipped his tea as he stared out of the window. Many thoughts flickered in his mind, some of them more unpleasant than the others.

Armin hung his apron and changed out of his work clothes. He brushed his hair, put on some cologne and headed out, locking the cafe behind him. He checked the time on his watch as he hooded his head to keep his hair dry from the pouring rain. He could have driven but the place was so close he thought it would be simpler to just walk. He stopped in front of a market to get cover from the rain. He took out his cellphone to text his location to Annie. They had a date night and had decided to go to Annie's place to eat.

Annie was late. Armin would still patiently wait for her. After 20 minutes behind schedule, Armin saw Annie running towards him with a blue umbrella. "Oh my god, Armin. I'm so sorry for being late." She panted. Armin took the umbrella from her to hold it above them. He smiled, "it's okay. I didn't wait that long."

Annie smiled, sighing in relief as they intervined their fingers. "Were you busy?" Armin asked. She stared at the ground before answering, "yeah. I had some urgent business to take care of."

Armin just nodded, not caring about her being late, he was just happy that she was there now. They walked quietly, no need for a conversation when the silence between them was already comfortable.

Armin had spent so much time with Annie that her home was practically his too. They hadn't officially moved in together yet, but they had some of each others stuff in their apartments. Armin took his wet jacket to dry in the bathroom after they got inside. Annie followed soon after with a pile of clothes for both. They casually changed out of their wet clothes, Annie then heading to the kitchen. Armin seated himself at the dinner table to watch her cook. Her hair was tied up in her usual, messy bun. The black apron covered her white tee and grey sweats. Her blue eyes looked focused when she cooked. Armin loved her cooking. It had a spin of its own to it, tasting like more than just food. He leaned his elbows on the table to keep his head up. The mood was peaceful, warm and just like everything it should be. "Need any help?" He asked. Annie took a quick glance at him. "You know you can't cook proper food, right?" She chuckled. Armin rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked over to her. He hugged her from behind, smelling her hair and murmuring something she couldn't hear. "You'll burn yourself if you mess with the stove." She leaned against his touch. He kissed her briefly on the head before walking out of the kitchen. "What do you wanna do tonight?" He raised his voice for her to hear.

"I was planning on watching a movie, if you don't mind?" She walked to the doorway, "the dinner's ready."

Annie set the table for them. She had made feta salad, steak and chips. Annie always put ketchup on her chips. Armin on the other hand hated ketchup, it was sticky, messy and didn't even taste good, so he put mayonnaise instead. He smiled as he ate with his girlfriend, not caring about the rest of the world when he was with her. He watched her as they ate, noticing the bags under her eyes that weren't usually that dark. Sliding his gaze to her delicate hands holding the cutlery, he noticed they had small cuts. Uneasiness swelling in his stomach, he couldn't let it be. "What happened to your hands?" He took them in his own, looking into her eyes.

Annie seemed confused at first. When she took a look at her hands, she chuckled, "oh these are just everyday scratches, nothing to worry about." She assured. Armin still felt unease, but forgot all about it when she leaned over the table to kiss him. They put the dishes away after finishing, heading to the living room to pick a movie.

Armin made himself comfortable in the corner of the couch, while Annie laid down with her head on his lap. They picked Transformers: The Dark Side Of The Moon. He stroked her shoulder while watching. Annie sat up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, Armin wrapping his arm around her. This is just what she needed. The feeling of safety and comfort. They didn't rush anything, feeling like they had all the time in the world for each other. She didn't even notice falling asleep shortly after.

Armin himself noticed only after hearing soft snoring next to his ear. He paused the movie and carefully got up to gently carry her to her bedroom. She didn't weigh much, she was a kickboxer after all, having a strict diet to keep herself fit.

Her bedroom walls were brown, making the room warm but dark. He placed her on the right side of the bed, tucking her under the covers. _You are so pretty._

He leaned over her, "I love you." and gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead.


End file.
